Monday, April 25, 2016

April 25th, 2016 Beautiful Harmony

April 25th, 2016 Beautiful Harmony

It was the last ten minutes of my radio show when I noticed guests making their way into our studio lobby. Did I miss a scheduled interview? I didn't think so-- and what's this? They're carrying boxes! Just then, I realized--it was the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery crew, a good client of ours, bringing edible gifts!! And they brought them directly into the KPNC studio, loading the counter with pies and muffins until the thick smell of sugar filled the room.

Years ago, I would have quietly grabbed one of the pies and put it aside for a private rendezvous, later--away from any possible witnesses, when I could devour until pleasure transformed into discomfort.

I didn't do that today. The peace, clarity, balance and stability my plan, with its abstinence from refined sugar, provides--is worth more to me than any expertly crafted pie or muffin, or several.

And these were seriously works of art (check out the Live-Tweet Photos below). And I can appreciate that part of it--and I can joyously decline partaking while feeling happy for the others who excitedly scooped up the bakery compliments.

I'm so grateful that I've reached a point in my abstinence where a situation like this isn't much of a threat. BUT--that doesn't mean I don't take precautions.

One of the things I embrace each day is this: My continued success is NEVER a guaranteed thing. I do not use the word "never" when I talk about my continued abstinence from refined sugar. I simply say, I hope and pray I never go back there. Okay, so maybe I do use the word "never," but in a very different way. There's no question about how refined sugar affects me. I'm fully aware--yet, I'm never beyond relapse. So, I do what might seem to be little things that bring big support.

I share the situation. The below tweets concerning this kind circumstance (and it was a very kind and generous gesture--and it was well received) might seem like simple, somewhat casual, slightly serious--slightly humorous, tweets--but on a deeper level, it was my way of sharing the situation. I also texted a support buddy--not to say, "I'm in trouble," because I didn't feel that way--it was to simply share the situation. And those acts of sharing create an even stronger resolve, in beautiful harmony with my plan.

Within fifteen minutes the studio was clear of the bakery items. A couple of pies were immediately delivered to clients in close proximity, the rest were claimed by colleagues planning to surprise their families with an amazing dessert.

I made my way upstairs for a mid-morning coffee and a banana with 16g natural peanut butter. I love the coffee even more when it's coupled with peanut butter!
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After a full day at the studio, I made my way to the store to grab a few ingredients for tonight's dinner plans. I made it home in time to seize a very controlled forty-five minute nap before jumping up and getting on the Monday night teleconference support group I co-facilitate with Life Coach Gerri and Kathleen Miles.

Then, it was time to try another recipe from Joy Bauer's newest book!

I decided on the fettuccine alfredo!

The picture in the below dinner Tweet doesn't do it justice! Every bite was cheesy delicious. Oh my-- easy-easy-easy, and incredibly delicious.

I live alone, so, most of the time I cook for just me. I cut the recipe into fourths and it was more than enough for one. I also added 4.4oz of chicken and 2oz sliced mushrooms.

I allowed the sauce to thicken a little too much-- I think the picture would have had more color otherwise. I didn't completely "nail it," but still, the flavors were alive with every bite!

The calorie count of the dish without the chicken and mushrooms added was 452, 88 calories over the recipe nutrition information. I attribute this to using 3oz pasta--remembering that I quartered the recipe--instead of one fifth, per the recipe breakdown.

Adding the chicken and mushrooms brought the entire meal in at just under 600 calories--fitting nicely in my weight maintenance calorie budget.

I chose this recipe for a reason. If you're a regular reader of this blog and/or you follow the Tweet stream, you know I occasionally prepare a similar dish using whole grain pasta, mixed veggies, mushrooms and sometimes chicken, other times just vegetables. Every time I've prepared it, I've always used the heavily processed jar of reduced calorie alfredo. Of course I scan the ingredients list for "sugar" or any synonyms of refined sugar--but still, I'm never really satisfied with the long list of things I can't pronounce in the ingredients list.

And seriously, this super-simple recipe using real ingredients tastes much better than any jar stuff I've tried! It's a keeper--and now I've added another item to the variety of my available choices!

The parmesan, the creaminess and flavor of the cream cheese/milk base, and the sea salt/back pepper---oh my...it made for a fantastic dinner experience!
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I'm caught up with shipping outstanding orders of Transformation Road and mp3 unabridged audio editions. If you've been patiently waiting for yours, thank you! All three of you will be receiving your copies within two days! :)

I sincerely appreciate everyone who has ordered copies of my book lately in various e-reader formats, the Audible.com audio version and in paperback via various booksellers, and mostly Amazon.com. I've always offered a way for you to order directly from me instead of these options--but now, temporarily, that direct option via my website is unavailable while transformationroad.com undergoes a total reconstruction. In the meantime, you can still order a copy directly from me by simply emailing your request to transformation.road@gmail.com. When you do, I'll email you an invoice and ship your copy! And by the way--the unabridged audio version mp3 disc with free shipping anywhere in the world, is still available as a complimentary gift with your donation of at least $20 to the DDWL! You can find the donation link in the upper left hand corner on the web version of this blog.

I finished up tonight by staying in with an excellent body weight strength training routine in my living room. It took all of twelve minutes to get in a very nice, focused workout. It's getting more and more difficult to justify not doing this--when it takes so little time.

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"What's this all about? It's about progress, not perfection. It's about how you feel, not a number. It's about you and for you, not about or for anyone else. It's about living, not dying. It's about dreaming, not dreading. It's about freedom, not imprisonment. It's about opening your mind to the possibilities, not closing it to the changes. It's about acceptance, not rejection. It's about nourishing, not depriving. It's about a broadly consistent importance level, not short bursts of narrow focus. It's about wanting, not forcing. It's about doing your best, not trying to do another's best. It's about today, not tomorrow, or next week or the first of the month or January 1st. It's about committing to consistency with all your heart and holding on tight, not a halfhearted commitment easily released with the slightest breeze. It's about you deserving better, because you do. It's about you being important, because you are important." --Sean Anderson

The start. 505 pounds.

Before--Over 500 pounds

Before & Now

Before: Over 500lbs "After" photo: Around 220-230. Current weight: Between 206-210

About Sean Anderson

This blog started as a daily account of what became a 275 pound weight loss. The archives contain over 1,700 individual blog posts. Sean hit his goal weight of 230 in November 2010 and maintained for 1.5 years. Then spent the following 1.5 years regaining 164 pounds. The daily postings from April 2014 to present, chronicle Sean's successful turnaround from relapse/regain. Currently weighing around 204 and maintaining well, Sean continues to write daily about the practices and disciplines of his continued recovery.